Opponent preview: Everything to know about Richmond

To support student journalism and the content you love, become a member of The Daily Orange today.

After losing to Colgate by double-digits for the second straight season, Syracuse easily took care of Northeastern on Saturday for a 76-48 bounce-back win. After the Raiders hit 19 3s on Tuesday, SU held the Huskies to an 8-for-32 statline from beyond the arc, and a 32.2% mark from the field. Once again, the Orange relied on their three-pronged scoring attack of Jesse Edwards, Joe Girard III and Judah Mintz, who combined for 58 of their 76 points. Ten SU players recorded double-digit minutes, too. 

Syracuse now heads to Brooklyn for its first game outside of the JMA Wireless Dome this season, taking on Richmond in the first game of the Empire Classic. SU will take on either Temple or St. John’s in its second game of the tournament Tuesday night. It’s the first time Syracuse has played in the Barclays Center since November 2019 when it lost to both Oklahoma State and Penn State in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Here’s everything to know about Richmond before Monday night’s game:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 3-1.

Last time they played

Syracuse last faced the Spiders on November 18, 2008 when it hosted them in the Dome as part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. SU trailed by seven at the half, but a strong second-half spurt — including a 13-2 run in the first five minutes — helped it to a comeback win. Richmond hit seven 3s in the first half, but the Orange moved to a man-to-man defense for the final 20 minutes, and the Spiders responded by shooting just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc.

Jonny Flynn finished with 27 points and five assists while playing all but one minute, and Eric Devendorf added 22 points. Richmond guard David Gonzalez hit 4 3s and finished with a team-high 18 points.

Richmond’s only win over SU came 17 years before the two teams’ last meeting, when the Spiders secured one of the NCAA Tournament’s biggest upsets ever, taking down second-seeded Syracuse 73-69 as a 15 seed in 1991. It was the first time a No. 15 had taken down a No. 2 in the tournament.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 62% chance of winning, with a projected score of 71-67.

The Spiders report

Richmond started the season 2-0 with double-digit wins over VMI and Northern Iowa before losing to Charleston and Wichita State. The Spiders are coming off a strong, 24-13 season where they made a four-game run to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament, beating Davidson 64-62 in the final. Then, as a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Richmond took down 5th-seeded Iowa 67-63, before falling to No. 4 Providence in the Round of 32.

Forward Tyler Burton, who averaged 16 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season, has added to those totals so far this year, notching 19 points and 8.5 boards per game. An important newcomer for Richmond this season has been 5-foot-10 freshman guard Jason Nelson, who’s averaging 12.8 points — the second-highest mark on the team. Senior Isaiah Bigelow has improved since last season, averaging over two more points and rebounds per game.

Richmond is 16th nationally in defensive 3-point percentage, and will try to limit Girard, who has four-or-more 3s in each of Syracuse’s first three games. The Spiders are a solid team from inside the arc (55.5% – 70th nationally), but shoot under 31% from outside. Keeping the ball out of the paint and around the perimeter will be key for the Orange’s defense, regardless of if they’re in zone or man.

How Syracuse beats Richmond

In an ideal world, SU would continue the strong defensive play it displayed against Northeastern and get out to an early lead, forcing Richmond into repeated missed 3-pointers while having Edwards, Mintz and Girard notch easy buckets. But it’s still November, a month the Orange have struggled in for several years now. Both last year and in 2019, Syracuse lost three games in November — including two in its preseason, Thanksgiving-week tournament. This game should provide a good measure of precisely where the Orange are at right now, and how much they’ve improved since the Colgate loss.

Richmond has allowed less than 60 points in three of its four games, meaning Syracuse will need consistent, reliable scoring from its main offensive threats, while also getting complementary buckets from players like Benny Williams and Chris Bell. If SU runs more zone, makes Richmond take more jump shots while getting the ball inside on the other end, it should be able to escape with a win.

Stat to know: 35.3%

The Spiders return 35.5% of their minutes from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, a low number that ranks 233rd in the country. Syracuse, which lost three starters including Buddy Boeheim after last season, ranks only slightly above Richmond at 35.4%, good for 232nd nationally. The two teams, both featuring several inexperienced players, are both still figuring themselves out a few games into the year, and Monday’s game will provide a good test for each.

Player to watch: Tyler Burton, forward, No. 3

Burton led Richmond in points and rebounds last season, and has continued that through four games this year. The 6-foot-7 senior was named preseason first-team All-Atlantic 10 this year after receiving second-team honors in 2020-21. He’s a versatile scorer, shooting 39% from 3-point range, over 59% from 2-point, and has converted over 93% of his free throws. Whether it’s Williams, Bell or another SU defender tasked with guarding Burton, they’ll have a tough time containing him. Burton scored 38 points against Charleston, and notched 15 in his last game against Wichita State.